


i’ll hold your place, i’ll be back

by twilighteve



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Black Paladin Lance (Voltron), Blue Paladin Lance (Voltron), But He Gets Better, Gen, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Space Uncle Coran (Voltron), Supportive Coran (Voltron), basically blue paladins are able to take over any other lions, fuck canon. my city now, making use of the whole lion switch thing bcs the show doesn't utilize it well enough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:33:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24475066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twilighteve/pseuds/twilighteve
Summary: Black opens up for Lance. Lance is… not amused.Or; apparently Blue Paladins are able to pilot other lions when their paladins are unavailable. No one told Lance that before.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 209
Collections: Finished111





	i’ll hold your place, i’ll be back

When he exited Black’s cockpit, Lance knew that his teammates would come to him asking a million questions. Keith would probably be so confused that he got angry instead, demanding answers and explanations. Pidge would ask ten questions a minute, jumping to the next before he could even begin to answer the first. Hunk would be quietly coaxing, and that would be even worse; he didn’t know how to answer. Allura would quietly stare at him and wait, so he could explain himself. And Coran would just… gaze, with his impossible-to-read look that he sometimes threw at the Paladins.

Lance decided he couldn’t deal with any of that, so he bolted away before they could get him.

He wasn’t sure where exactly he wanted to go. His own room was clearly out. Blue’s cockpit, as well – even if he longed for her soothing coolness, she had locked him out again. Red was also out, because he had apparently decided that Lance wasn’t the right pilot for him pretty much out of nowhere. The star map room was also out since it was one of his usual haunts and Hunk would know. Where should he go? Where should he go? _Where should he go?_

Before he knew it, his feet brought him to the library. He stopped walking, staring at the towering bookcases, and slipped between them. He came here sometimes, but his friends didn’t know. He could probably be alone for a while.

He sat on the floor and recklessly tossed his helmet aside, wincing when it clattered loudly. He sighed and buried his hands in his hair, staring ahead at nothing.

What the hell.

It had been bad when the team realized Shiro – well, not exactly Shiro – wasn’t the real deal, but rather a clone the Galra made to infiltrate their ranks. It was… bad, to say the least. They had to pull Keith back into Voltron from his Marmorra duties, and a lot of people weren’t happy for all the constant push and pull of Keith that happened, Keith least of all.

Keith had come up to Black, who had raised her particle barrier, and asked to be let in. she didn’t lower her barrier. They spent nearly fifteen minutes trying to coax her to open up to Keith, but she refused to budge.

Then the Galra attacked.

They scrambled to their assigned lions, then, trying to deal with the situation as fast as possible. Except Red wouldn’t open up to Lance.

He opened up to Keith, instead.

Lance had returned to Black’s hangar feeling helpless and frustrated, then. Did he truly have no place in Voltron? He couldn’t help Coran, not really, he didn’t really understand all that Altean tech. Blue was with Allura, Red was reunited with Keith, and if Black wouldn’t open to him before he really didn’t think she’d open for him now.

Dammit. Why was he so useless?

Panicked screaming from his helmet made him clench his hands in frustration. The situation was bad, his teammates were struggling, and there was nothing he could do. He felt useless.

He wished he could do more.

He looked up at Black, taking a deep breath. It hitched in his throat when Black returned his gaze and lowered her barrier.

He stared. “Wha – me? Now? … Really?”

There was a low rumble at the back of his mind and the impression of impatience. _It’s not the time_ , he translated, and he hurried into Black’s cockpit.

Flying Black was vastly different from flying Red, which was also vastly different from flying Blue. He flew Blue the best, her agile movements fluid like water and her cool playfulness soothing his mind. Red was sharp, hot, impatience given firepower and speed like no other.

Black was the sky. When Lance connected with Black, he truly felt like he was _flying_ , soaring through the winds and diving into clouds. She was an angry gale, righteously furious that anyone at all dared to harm her pride, her cubs, her family. He connected to her surprisingly easily, and they both chomped down on several Galra drones at once to protect Pidge from an oncoming hellfire.

“ _Lance_?!” the sheer incredulousness in Pidge’s voice would be insulting if Lance didn’t feel the same.

“Your five o-clock, Pidge!” Lance simply yelled to divert her attention.

“Uh – yeah, okay.” Thankfully, Pidge turned to focus on the battle once more.

With Black joining the fray, the battle was won soon. As they returned to the castle, Lance was suddenly struck by the realization that they would ask questions, and he had no answer.

So, like any logical person would, he fled and hid in the library.

He took a deep breath to calm himself, mind racing. What just happened?

Okay, he just piloted Black, he knew that much. But why him? Why now, of all times? Black didn’t open for him before, why would she now? What about Keith? Wouldn’t Allura be a better choice anyway? The questions swirled in his head like a tumultuous storm, running around and bounding off the crevices of his brain and echoing loudly and noisily, refusing to still and instead growing in volume until he felt suffocated. He took another deep breath, released it in a huff, and buried his fingers into his hair.

He lowered his hands and felt the floor – _when had he even lowered himself to sit down_ – and pressed, hoping that the sensation could ground him. It couldn’t. He pressed anyway.

Black’s soft rumble hadn’t left him ever since he exited the cockpit. It started as a vibration in his chest that exploded into a roar during the battle, and when he left it lowered in volume until it was just a thrum that refused to still. It added into the noise that still thundered in his mind. Lance wished he could get some silence, stillness, so he could think about this properly, but the questions might as well be his little cousins’ screaming when they were throwing tantrum; it was impossible to quiet.

“Lance?”

Lance jumped when he heard the quiet voice calling him, heart jumping in a way that made him want to puke. He turned, eyes meeting Coran’s, and gulped.

Coran bent to take his helmet and sat next to him, the helmet between them. “You piloted the black lion,” he stated.

The confusion in Lance’s head thundered even louder. “I did, didn’t I.”

Coran leaned back against the bookcase and turned his head to look at Lance. The paladin pulled his knees to his chest, put his forehead against them, and sighed loudly. “I’m just… I don’t get this. I don’t get this at all.”

“Get what?” Coran prodded.

“This!” Lance snapped up to meet his gaze, gesturing wildly to his own self. “I don’t get how I got to pilot Black. She wouldn’t open for me back then, why now? Why do I have to change lions so much? At this rate I’ll get to pilot Yellow and Green too, and I might as well change lions like changing clothes because I’d be the only paladin to ever get to rotate all lions. Shouldn’t a paladin stick to their own lion? Do I have to pilot Black all the time now? Am I supposed to lead the whole team? Will she suddenly shut me out and refuse to open for me again? I’m confused, alright?!”

Coran nodded in a way that reminded Lance of a wise old man. “I understand. I’m sure it’s hard for you, considering you’re the only paladin here who have managed to pilot three lions in such a small window of time.”

“Yes! That’s exactly it!” Lance gestured again, to Coran this time. “Why _me_?”

Coran looked at Lance before he approached him, sliding down the wall and sitting next to him. He put the helmet on Lance’s lap. “Tell me, Lance. How does water behave?”

Lance stared. “I’m sorry, what.”

“Just humor me for a second here! How does water behave?”

“Well it’s…” Lance sighed. “It’s flexible, I guess? It’s shapeless. It morphs into the shape of whatever container it’s put in.”

Coran hummed in agreement. “Makes sense that the paladin of the water lion would be like water, don’t you think?”

Lance blinked. He gazed at Coran wordlessly.

“Here’s something that we didn’t tell you about the lions, Lance,” Coran said, tone heavy with something Lance couldn’t quite read. “When someone pilots a lion, they don’t necessarily become the lions’ paladins. A true paladin of a lion – a true paladin of _Voltron_ – would be connected to both the lion they pilot and the other pilots in a way that is impossible to be described to others. In addition to that, they would also feel the other paladins’ connection to their own lions, making all paladins connected to all lions no matter what.

“We didn’t tell you this at first because we doubted you were the true paladins,” Coran admitted. Regret colored his voice. “We thought you were nothing but temporary pilots for the lions. They are absurdly picky, and we didn’t think they would settle for their new pilots so easily. To our surprise, the lions accepted all of you and chose you as their true paladins.”

Lance frowned. “Okay, so we’re true paladins. Cool. What does that have to do with me piloting three lions so far? If I’m supposed to be the paladin for Blue why am I piloting Black?”

Coran took a deep breath. “Another thing that we didn’t tell you was the true role of the Blue Lion and the Blue Paladin.”

Lance stilled. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve said before that water is flexible,” Coran began, “and I’ve said that it’s only natural that the paladin of the water lion would be like water. True paladins of the Blue Lion are generally able to switch lions the easiest, and because of the Blue Lion’s easygoing nature that allows it to accept new pilots easily, true paladins of the Blue Lion often end up becoming… replacement pilots, so to speak.”

Lance winced. “ _Replacement_ pilot,” he echoed.

Coran nodded. “In a war, casualties happen. When the pilot of the Blue Lion is hurt, it’s not much of a problem; the Blue Lion is the most accepting of new pilots, and even if they aren’t its true paladin they would be able to do the part. If anything happens to the pilots of other lions, it’s not as simple. They are far pickier with new pilots. However, paladin of the Blue Lion generally would be able to pilot whichever lions without much complication no matter the circumstances. For this reason, they usually end up taking over if the other paladins are for any reason unable to pilot their own lions.”

“So you’re saying I’m no more than a _replacement_ ,” Lance spat the word viciously.

Coran’s gaze was sharp when he met Lance’s glare. “Being a Paladin of Voltron, you of all people should know how important it is to have someone ready to take over a lion when its true paladin is not able to. Have you forgotten how badly we fared when Shiro first went missing?”

Lance flinched. He looked away.

“You are not a replacement, Lance,” Coran said, voice gentle. “You are the true Blue Paladin. No replacement Blue Paladin is going to be able to step into the role of the Red or the Black Lion’s pilot so easily, so seamlessly.” Coran clasped his shoulder. “In a way, your role as the Blue Paladin is perhaps the most difficult in the team. We didn’t tell you, but you are expected to be able to fill in the shoes of every other paladin. You have to be _all_ of them at once; brave, smart, kind, flexible, and able to lead. You are all of them, and more.” He snorted. “If anything, Princess Allura is the replacement for you.”

“But… if my role is to be able to replace them when they’re unavailable…” Lance bit his lip.

“My boy,” Coran squeezed his shoulder, “don’t confuse your role with what you’re worth.”

Lance stared at him quizzically.

“So you’re able to pilot other lions in the other paladins’ stead. So what?” Coran shifted so he could look into Lance’s eyes. “That’s not all you are. You’re not just the Blue Paladin, you’re Lance! You’re the boy who helps me take care of the castle, who makes jokes to lighten to mood, who helps Hunk cook, who actually drags Pidge, Keith, and _the Princess_ to actually eat something and sleep. You take care of your teammates and forgets to take care of yourself. You are the glue that keeps us together, Lance, and that’s so much more than just a replacement pilot.” He took Lance’s hands and gripped them. “Just because you are able to fly their lions in their stead, doesn’t mean you’re not all of the things I’ve just said anymore.”

Lance looked down, thinking. He let Coran hold his hands and bleed warmth into his skin. Deep within his mind, Black rumbled reassuringly, and he could hear Blue, too, giving a content and calming purr. Farther away, far quieter, Red, Green, and Yellow gave a soft growl, expectant.

Lance took a deep breath and looked up. He met Coran’s gaze, feeling steadier even though he still kind of want to curl up and cry. “Coran… I think I should get back to Black’s hangar.”

“Of course, my boy.”

“Can you maybe… help explain everything with the others? Can you explain to them what Blue Paladins can do?”

“Of course. I’ll make sure they understand perfectly.”

Lance took his helmet and stood up.

The walk back to the hangar was tense, with Lance feeling stiff in more ways than one. Coran placed his hand at the small of his back, and some of the tension evaporated at the touch. He took a deep breath to steady himself and continued the trek.

When he reached the hangar, he saw that everyone was still there. The paladins were crowding over Allura as she spoke softly, brows knitted in thought. Pidge saw his arrival first and was quick to ditch Allura to go to him.

Lance tensed when he saw her battle-ready expression, but Coran saved him by stepping into Pidge’s path. Lance looked up at Black as Coran started talking Pidge’s ears off and felt Black’s rumbles calling to him.

Lance walked to Black and ignored his friends’ calls, knowing Coran could handle them for now and explain the whole Blue Paladin basically being a reserve pilot and a main pilot at the same time. He stopped at Black’s paw and placed his hand on it, looking up and reaching in to talk to the lion.

_You’ll let me pilot you?_

A confirmation.

_I don’t want to. Honestly, I don’t like the whole being a replacement pilot thing. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth._

Confusion at first, which was quickly brushed over – Black’s own confusion wasn’t really relevant. Then regret and apologies flared.

_No, it’s not your fault. I understand the need._ Lance took a deep breath. _Only until Shiro comes back, and I’ll be back with my lady. Is that okay?_

Acceptance, then gratitude.

Lance smiled softly. “I look forward to flying with you, Black.”

Black let out an amiable growl.

Lance turned to face his friends. He swallowed his nervousness and smiled at them. “Well, apparently I’m a temporary pilot for Black.”

“Yeah, we can see that! What the fuck, Lance!”

Pidge’s enthusiastic yelling eased the lasts of the nervousness away, and Lance laughed. As the others practically pounced on him, he felt the presence of both Black and Blue in the back of his mind, like pillars keeping him upright.

It still stung, but he could learn to accept this role.

**Author's Note:**

> an old thing that i forgot about that i decided to post because why not. it lacked an ending so i slapped something that seemed appropriate. it feels like waste not to post this one, for some reason.
> 
> also, voltron really did run amok switching lions without any cause. and was it just me, or is it really weird that a team that's basically a strike team for war doesn't have anyone who can act as a reserve pilot who can replace the others when they're like... idk, hurt or otherwise occupied for one reason or another? so i thought, if Blue's supposed to be this friendly lion who's more open to people to pilot her, well maybe that's because her true paladin is the only one who can pilot every lion when the need rises.  
> lance may think his role is just a mere replacement, but c'mon lance let's be real, this is war. someone who can take over flying your picky magical warship for you is supremely valuable. you don't come by good and trustworthy pilots easily.
> 
> hope you enjoyed this. have a nice day!


End file.
